Fire destroys home near Cullman; family unharmed

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A house fire Thursday afternoon destroyed the Lemley residence, located south of Ala. Highway 157 near Temple Baptist Church. Although two people were at the home when the fire began, fire officials said no one was injured. A number of pets did perish in the fire. BENJAMIN BULLARD

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August 3, 2012

Fire destroys home near Cullman; family unharmed

By Benjamin Bullard The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Fri Aug 03, 2012, 09:10 AM CDT

CULLMAN — A Thursday afternoon fire destroyed the home of a Cullman family and claimed the lives of some pets, but resulted in no injuries for the two people at the residence when the fire occurred.

The fire, which began around 1:45 Thursday afternoon at the Lemley residence on County Road 1184, came at the onset of a heavy thunderstorm attended by frequent lightning. The property lies just northwest of Cullman near Temple Baptist Church on Alabama Highway 157.

West Point volunteer fire chief Tim Martin said the home burned rapidly and was already fully involved by the time the first engines had been dispatched.

“When we got the call, it hadn’t started raining yet at West Point. We got to the caution light at [Highway] 157 to turn towards Cullman, and already you could see smoke from that distance. It was well involved when we got there,” Martin said. “The rain actually ended up being beneficial to us, because it reduced the air temperature in the area. No one was injured, but the house was destroyed.”

According to Martin and deputies with the Cullman County sheriff’s office, the homeowner and a relative were at the dwelling at the time the fire began. The pair were able to exit the residence and remove their vehicles a safe distance from the house, but were unable to rescue an undisclosed number of exotic pets from the flames.

Local Red Cross director Mike Bates said the agency responded at the scene, offering the family necessities and temporary shelter.

“We had a team on site, and we were coordinating to see if the family needed a place to stay,” said Bates. “We’ll provide that, as well as food and clothing.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“There’s a possibility that a lightning strike may have caused it, due to the storms in the area, but until we can go back and check the lightning data from the National Weather Service, we won’t know for sure,” Martin said. “Right now, the cause of the fire remains undetermined.”

Vinemont-Providence and Bethsadia volunteer fire fighters, as well as the Cullman Emergency Rescue Service, assisted the West Point unit.

Contact the Cullman-Blount-Winston chapter of the American Red Cross at 256-734-0921 for information on how to assist the family.

* Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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Fire destroys home near Cullman; family unharmed

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